It is accepted clinical practice in acute care areas of the hospital to measure patient vital signs on an infrequent basis, at time intervals ranging from one hour to eight hours. In these parts of the hospital, monitors are moved from patient to patient, and the sensors are attached to the patient only for the duration of the measurement. Current multiparameter monitors for use in acute care hospitals provide automated methods for noninvasively measuring blood pressure, pulse oximetry, pulse rate and temperature.